Gun turret swivel



1947- F. N. DICKERMAN 2,424,650

GUN TURRET SWIVEL Filed July 51, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 as n I7 )5 24 FIG 5 I FRED NRES DBKERMAN Clue/mm;

July 29, 1947.

F. N. D'ICKERMAN 2,424,650

GUN TURRET SWIVEL Filed July 51, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.3

,Invenl ar I feta Mu; 010159514.

Patented July 29, 1947 GUN TURRET SWIVEL Fred N. Dickcrman, Nichols, Conn, assignor to United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford,

Coma, a corporation of Delaware Application July 31, 1944, Serial No. 547,476

3 Claims.

The invention herein disclosed is a novel swivel joint for a gun turret through which it is possible to provide a continuous circulation of a hydraulic medium, a continuous supply of oxygen and/or other elements and continuous electrical and radio connections to the gun and its various hydraulic operating devices and electrical and radio equipment which are mounted to turn with it on the swivel, from the source of supply of the hydraulic system and the sources of electric power and signals respectively.

The object of this invention is to make hydraulic, gas and electrical supply connections in ternally through a compact and simply constructed and assembled gun turret swivel, so as to eliminate the use of external conduits which are apt to get twisted and to interfere with the free operation of the swivel.

A further object is to make the swivel with simple detachable inlet connections on its stationary portion for connection to the sources of supply and simple detachable outlet connections on its rotatable portion for connection to the movable gun equipment.

Another object is to provide a simply constructed swivel joint with electrical hydraulic and gas connections between the relatively movable parts.

Other and more specific objects will appear as the present device is described in detail, having reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through the device, and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stationary portion thereof, without the electrical slip ring plate.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through a part of the device and shows electrical connections.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, the base plate I or stationary portion is fixedly mounted to the airplane structure at the base of and on the swivel axis of the swivelling compartment. Plate 2 containing the electrical and radio slip rings 2a is fixedly mounted to the base plate I and remains stationary. Swivel member 3 to which the cover plate 4 and contact plate 5 are attached, rotates with the swivelling turret or compartment, Retainer ring [1 maintains the member 3 in position. Radio wires and electrical wires, such as 25, 26 and 21, are fed through inlets 6 and 1 respectively through fixed member I and are connected to the slip rings, as at 28, 29 and 30, respectively, on the plate 2. The hydraulic inlet is through channel 8 in the fixed member I to register with the groove 9 in the rotating member 3 which communicates with port l0 connecting to a line which feeds hydraulic pressure to points required in the turret compartment. Similarly, hydraulic outlet line is through an inlet 2 l, in the swivelling member 5, through groove H in the swivel member 3 and through outlet port H3 in the fixed member l. Similarly oxygen fed to the turret compartment through inlet port M in the fixed member 6 through groove I5 in the swivel member 3 and through channel l2 in the swivel member 3 through an outlet port (not shown) to the connecting line in the gun turret. Packing rings as at iii are provided at several points between the swivelling and fixed members as provision against leakage. Groove l8 and channels l9 and 20 provide drainage of oil and oxygen which may leak past the packing rings.

The slip rings 2a have terminal binding posts, such as 3|, 32 and 33, extending through the plate 2, which is made of insulating material. The radio and other electrical conductors, such as 25, 26 and 21, passed through the passages 6 and I from the outside extend into the compartment 24 from the openings 22 and 23 in the base plate at the ends of the passages 6 and "l respectively. Here the ends'cf the conductors are connected to the respective binding posts on the bottom of the plate 2. These wires may terminate in plugs of well known construction at the other ends of passages 6 and 1 for facilitating assembly during installation. In the present device, provision has been made for sixteen electrical connections, of which only three are being shown as used in the illustrated assembly, there being [6 slip rings. However, any other number of slip rings may be inserted, depending on maximum requirements.

For each slip ring there is a contact brush mounted in plate 5 and having a binding post such as 34, extending through the plate. Conductors, such as 35, from these binding posts may be connected to one or more plugs or passed through grommets such as 36, in the cover 4 of the rotatable portion of the swivel for easy connection or disconnection with the gun equipment.

The hydraulic and gas connections on the movable portion are On the periphery thereof. One of these hydraulic connections may be seen at In in Fig. 1. The other hydraulic connection is at the end of passage 2 I, and the oxygen connection at the outer end of passage l2.

Thus it may be seen that this device, in its broader aspects, provides a lightweight, compact unit for the communication of hydraulic, electrical, oxygen and/or other elements between a fixed and a swivelling member, which may be quickly assembled and disassembled.

Various changes in form and dimensions may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as hereafter claimed.

For example, although only one groove and port is used in each pair of rotatably slidable faces on the fixed and swivelled members, more than one such registry may be made for additional passages through the swivelled unit. Also, although three pairs of rotatably slidable cylindrical faces are used, any other number of such pairs of faces might be used, as desired, each pair having one or more sets of registering grooves and ports for gas or liquid passages through the swivelled unit, and the pairs of rotatably slidable faces might also have the form of any surfaces of revolution other than cylindrical, as shown.

What is claimed is:

l. A fixed member comprising a circular base plate having a circular concentric groove and passages extending from the bottom of said base plate to each of the three cylindrical faces formed by the outer periphery of the base plate and the inner and the outer periphery of the groove, and to an opening in the top of the base plate, a swivelling plate member closely fitting over said base plate, having opposed cylindrical faces slidingly engaging said three cylindrical faces on the base plate and having grooves therein registering with the openings of said passages extending to said latter faces, said grooves being connected by passages in said swivelling member extending to the outer periphery thereof, a plate of insulating material attached to the top of said base plate and having a series of concentric slip rings on top thereof with binding posts passed therethrough, and another plate of insulating material attached to said swivelling member and having contact brushes on its under side correspondingly spaced in a radial direction to contact the slip rings with binding posts extending through said plate, whereby a comparatively fiat overall structure may be obtained.

2. A compact unit for the communication of hydraulic, electrical and oxygen communicable elements between a fixed and a swivelling member, comprising a fixed member and a swivelling member, a plurality of rotatably slidable pairs of faces of rotation between said members, one of each of said pairs having a circular groove therein in register with a port in the other of the pair of faces, said grooves and said ports being connected by passages Within the respective members to the outer periphery of the respective members and a plate of insulating material on each of said members, a plurality of concentric slip rings with binding posts through one plate, and a plurality of contact brushes with binding posts through the other plate for making continuous contact with corresponding slip rings.

3. A compact unit for the communication of gas or liquid passages and electrical connections through a swivelled joint comprising a fixed member and a rotatable member having a plurality of pairs of sliding faces of rotation, one of each pair of said faces having a circular groove therein and the other of said pair of faces having a port therein registering with the respective groove, passages in said members connecting each of said grooves and ports to the outer periphery of the respective members for making external connections, and a plate mounted on each of said members, one of said plates having a plurality of concentric slip rings insulatably mounted therein, the other having a plurality of contact brushes insulatably mounted therein for contact with corresponding slip rings, said slip rings and brushes having binding posts on the opposite sides of the plates serving as terminals for the electrical connections from opposite sides of the joint.

FRED N. DICKERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,231,149 Baum Feb. 11, 1941 442,666 Gunn Dec. 16, 1890 2,187,147 Englesson Jan. 16, 1940 872,358 Liddell Dec. 3, 1907 

